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AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
COLLEGE PARK, GA. AT GATEWAY CENTER ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON TBS & MAX
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Attendance: WrestleTix reported shortly before showtime that 2,562 tickets had been distributed out of a 2,403 configuration. The arena has a capacity of 5,000 spectators when configured for concerts, but the wrestling stage cuts off some of that capacity.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller and PWTorch’s Frank Peteani to review AEW Dynamite LIVE tonight right after Dynamite. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Dynamite during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Dynamite. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
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[HOUR ONE]
-Renee Paquette introduced the show from outside the arena as clips aired of the arrival of Swerve Strickland & Prince Nana, Ricochet, and Toni Storm. She then interviewed Jay White next to the AEW truck. She asked about the new-found relationship with him and Adam Copeland. He said it’s building in real time before everyone’s eyes. He said they have no history. He said dealing with the Death Riders, people have to rely on those he wouldn’t usually rely on, such as FTR. The Death Riders then approached hiom on the ramp outside the venue. White counted them, but FTR and Adam Copeland came up behind the Death Riders. White charged and a brawl broke out.
Excalibur, Taz, and Tony Schiavone commented on the fight breaking out. Fans cheered as Cash dragged Pac into the entrance stage area in front of them. Everyone else joined them. Taz said, “This is a hot start, as we call it.” White gave Wheer Yuta a Blade Runner. He turned to give one to Mox, but Pac intervened. FTR gave Pac a Shatter Machine. Claudio yanked Dax to the floor and swung hi by his legs into the barricade. Claudio then gave Cash a European uppercut. Mox and Claudio stomped on White in the corner. Copeland entered and tried to spear Mox, but Claudio shoved Mox out of the way, so Claudio got speared instead. Fans chanted, “Cope! Cope!”
Copeland said the fans are chanting one name. The “Cope!” chant restarted. He asked Mox what his answer was. “Do you still have a set of nuts?” he asked. He asked if he accepts his challenge to face him for the AEW World Title at Revolution. Mox marched to the ring. “You deserve nothing, you get nothing, the answer is no,” Mox said. He threw the mic down.
White yelled at Moxley and said he had another offer. He challenged Mox and Claudio to fight him and Copeland in a no-rules match Brisbane Brawl in Australia at Grand Slam. Copeland’s theme played.
-Excalibur hyped Swerve vs. Ricochet as the TV main event, plus Toni Storm vs. Queen Aminata with Mariah May on commentary, Will Ospreay vs. a member of the Don Callis Family, Brody King & Buddy Matthews vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher.
-They showed Murphy confronting Kazuchika Okada over not defending his title enough. He said they could settle the issue tonight. Okada laughed in his face and said he doesn’t deserve it. Murphy shoved him and said he’s still a bitch. Okada said, “I’m no bitch.” He looked genuinely hurt and distressed over that characterization. Excalibur said Matthews challenged Okada to defend his Continental Title against him at Grand Slam. He said Will Ospreay & Kenny Omega will face Fletcher & Takeshita at Grand Slam.
-Ospreay made his ring entrance. Fans popped for his music. Don Callis said the man he is facing is a man Ospreay knows well whom he traveled up and down the road with – Mark Davis. He called him “The Ospreay Killer.”
(1) WILL OSPREAY vs. MARK DAVIS
Exclaibur noted he is Fletcher’s long-time tag partner. He said Ospreay opened his home to Davis during the pandemic. Fans loudly chanted, “You sold out!” The bell rang 14 minutes into the hour. Callis on commentary called Ospreay “an idiot and a mark” if he’s surprised because he’s held back Davis his whole career. Callis said he owns Davis because Fletcher signed a contract with power of attorney for both him and Davis to join the Don Callis Family. He said Davis has been instructed to be there and he either has to come to work under the Don Callis banner or stay at home. Callis said like in football, you don’t have like the head coach, but you have to follow his instructions. Callis said Davis still has to prove himself to him. Ospreay landed a springboard flying forearm to Davis, sending him to ringside to recover. Callis stepped up to coach him. They cut to a double-box break at 4:00. [c/db]
Davis took over during the break. He delivered a released Dragon suplex and then a running knee. He drove his knee into Ospreay’s back and drove his head into the mat leading to a two count at 8:00. Ospreay fought back with a flip kick. He played to the crowd who stood and cheered. He then launched himself over the top rope onto Davis with a bodypress. Ospreay threw Davis back into the ring and landed two kicks and an Oscutter for a near fall. Callis reached in the ring and was ready to interrupt the count.
Ospreay signaled for a Hidden Blade. When he charged, Davis clotheslined him. He followed with a piledriver for a near fall. Davis yanked the bottom turnbuckle pad off. The ref admonished Davis. Davis grabbed the ref by his lapels. Ospreay caught Davis with a Hidden Blade for the win.
WINNER: Ospreay in 11:00.
-After the match, Excalibur plugged that Grand Slam Australia would end immediately following NBA All-Star Saturday Night on TNT in ten nights. Ospreay grabbed a mic as fans sang “Ospreay!” to his theme song as Callis stood at ringside. He said it’s like a party in there. He said Callis is a bit of a party pooper. He then said he has a partner for Grand Slam. Kenny Omega came out to his theme as Callis fled the scene. Omega smiled and slapped hands on his way to the ring. Omega said they’ve been to Atlanta, but they never received a reception like that. Omega thanked the fans. Omega said he doesn’t know the leverage that Mark Davis has on him, but while it might feel scary and hopeless, there are people there whom he can trust.
Omega said in one week, he makes his AEW in-ring return in Brisbane, Australia. (He wrestled Brian Cage on Jan. 15, so I guess it’s his AEW return after four long weeks?) Omega said after listening to the fans, he got an itch to speak to them in person. “I hope you don’t mind,” he said. Fans chanted, “Kenny!” Takeshita and Fletcher came out. Callis held them back.
Kenny said they can start the fight tonight. Omega said he’s an EVP again, so he’s got the time. He said they should train and prepare for next week’s tag match at Grand Slam. He said it’s been a while since people could feel what he was feeling in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. He said now that he’s back, the people can feel what he’s feeling. He said next week won’t just be for fun or to prove they’re better than them, but that the future of the company belongs to those standing in the ring now. He bid fans adieu. Pyro blasted. Omega made goofy faces and said the pyro even shocked him.
(Keller’s Analysis: That was one of the hottest crowd reactions AEW has had in a while, and the overall energy and vibe felt like a throwback to AEW’s earliest days. Omega seemed as tuned into what he was saying with an actual message as I can recall. He’s a goof, but that can work in his favor if that’s his brand. He just can’t combine being a good-natured goof with being unprepared and overly casual in his demeanor and appearance.)
-A video package set the stage for the Ricochet vs. Swerve match. [c]
-They showed Westside Gunn in the front row.
-The Hurt Syndicate made their ring entrance. Taz said they’ll be difficult to unseat. Excalibur said this is Bobby Lashley’s first tag team title reign, while Shelton Benjamin is a tag team specialist. MVP said he had an official announcement to make. He asked fans to stand and respect the Standards of Excellence. Fans chanted, “We Hurt People!” MVP said they have to hop on the jet to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. He said Private Party have a bright future, but they ran into the wrong people at the wrong time. He invited anyone to step up to challenge them, but promised to hurt them.
Austin & Colten Gunn then made their entrance. They posed to their music. Austin said they wanted to talk business. MVP told them to step up and state their business face-to-face. Austin yelled something into the microphone about a local Georgia team or something. Austin said they have been waiting two years for their rematch for the belts they once held, and the only reason Hurt Syndicate have the belts is because they were gone. Colten said it’s time for them to do their job and take back their tag team titles. MVP said if it weren’t for the respect he has for their father, he’d have had his men choke them out. He shook their hands and offered them a tag team title match at Grand SLam. He said it’ll be “Hurt Syndicate against a couple of ass boys.” Schiavone said, “That stung.”
Hurt Syndicate left the ring. Austin said something about being okay with being called Ass Boys that got bleeped. “And if you’re not down with that, we’ve got two words for you.”
(Keller’s Analysis: Just when I thought Hurt Syndicate were leaning into being babyfaces, in the sense that they were gracious in giving credit to Private Party, AEW matches them against the Gunns, who were a babyface act getting a hometown pop. So now fans have to choose, and some are going to back Hurt Syndicate, undercutting the Gunns’ apparent big babyface return on their own, and others will back the Gunns, softening the momentum of what could be a top tier cool babyface faction for AEW. It’s fine to do it eventually, but with both situations relatively fresh, this just likely muddles the crowd reaction.)
-Excalibur commented on a clip of Harley Cameron getting her first televised win on Collision against Taya Valkyrie.
-Renee said she was about to interview Mercedes Moné when a muppet hand puppet entered the screen. Harley voiced her and she plugged being in concert next week. She was in full ventriloquist mode when Mercedes walked in from behind. She asked Harley harshly, “Harley, are you stupid or are you dumb?” Renee said she still doesn’t have an opponent for Grand Slam. She said Harley just got her first win so she’d like to talk to her about her trajectory. Mercedes said she won her first title at age 23. She then admired her multiple belts and said she’s the greatest TBS Champion of all time. She said Harley is a loser “and losers don’t get to ride the money train.” She told her to stay out of her locker room and stormed off. Harley gave her the finger. Renee pulled her hand down. [c]
-Renee interviewed “Hangman” Adam Page backstage. Renee said it appeared last week he was in pursuit of Swerve. Hangman insisted it was a moment of weakness and a mistake. He said she should never ask about it again. She asked about Christopher Daniels saying he beat him so badly, there might’ve been regret on his face. Hangman said no. He said Daniels overstepped and accepted a Texas Death match against him. He said he doesn’t regret it. Max Caster, sitting off to the side, asked Renee to wrap it up. He stood and said he has been waiting a long time. He said he was so brutal, he wondered what if he hurt Anthony Bowens like that. Hangman suggested he put Billy Gunn in the hospital. Hangman said he’d love to put someone in the hospital, but he doesn’t see Bowens or Gunn. Caster got the gist and turned to leave and said he was going to his car. Hangman said he’d go with him.
-Excalibur said Max chewed off more than he intended tonight.
(2) HOUNDS OF HELL (Buddy Murphy & Brody King) vs. KONSUKE TAKESHITA & KYLE FLETCHER (w/Don Callis)
Hounds of Hell came out first. Then Taksehita & Fletcher. The bell rang 57 minutes into the hour. Callis said Fletcher can’t walk down the streets of Australia without security now. A minute in, Brody and Takeshita exchanged chops mid-ring. When Fletcher entered, Brody chopped him out of the ring.
[HOUR TWO]
All four brawled at ringside. Brody chopped Fletcher into a chair and then chopped Takeshita onto him. He then charged at both of them. They cut to a double-box break at 5:00. [c/db]
Takeshita and Fletcher took over during the break. Matthews made a comeback and landed a running flip dive over the top rope onto Fletcher and Takeshita at ringside. He threw Fletcher back into the ring and then landed a Meteora for a near fall. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!” Fletcher landed a sudden half-and-half suplex. Matthews stood on the top rope and fended off Takeshita on the ring apron. Okada’s music played, and Murphy sat down and waited for him to come out. Meanwhile, Fletcher stood and set up a superplex. Matthews slipped out and kicked and kneed Fletcher. Excalibur asked if he had anything to do with Okada’s music playing. Taz said it’s not like Callis is in the truck. Matthews and Brody crashed into Fletcher in the corner. Takeshita broke up the cover with a senton at 13:00.
They fought onto the ring apron. Fletcher ended up giving Brody a draping DDT into the ring for a believable near fall. Takeshita broke up Brody’s next move. They delivered a tandem brainbuster and Fletcher pinned Brody. Excalibur touted Brody’s toughness and said they had to drop a build on him to beat him.
WINNERS: Takeshita & Fletcher in 14:00.
-Excalibur narrated a clip from Collision of Kip Sabian and Nick Wayne attacking Hook and Samoa Joe after their tag match.
-They went to Joe and Hook backstage. Hook tried to calm Joe. “You said it yourself, if you’re furious, you can’t be focused.” Joe said, “What did I tell you about using my own stuff against me?” They went into the locker room of Nick and Kip. They said Christian wasn’t there. Joe said they could leave a message. Joe and Hook attacked them and left then lying. “Tell your daddy I said hi,” Joe said. Christian and Mother Wayne then peeked around a corner and ran in and asked what happened.
-MJF strutted out. He opened: “Geriatric Jeff Jarrett, all you had to do was stay out of the way of a young, fast-rising, incredibly handsome humble star, but you just couldn’t do that, could you?” He said that’s why he had to teach him a lesson. He said the “E” in AEW stands for “All Elite Wrestling,” not “All Elderly Wrestling.” He laughed at his own joke. He said now that the carny schmuck is out of his way, he’s once again lose to attaining his Triple B Baby. He said there is nobody on the level of the – at which point Max Caster walked in and interrupted. MJF told hiom to get the hell out of his ring. “I’m talking,” he said. “This is my time.” Caster backed off. Hangman then ran out to the ring. He got in MJF’s face. Caster fled through the crowd. Hangman pursued Caster. MJF asked, “Are we for real right now? This is my time?” He asked the fans if they like Cowboy Shit.
He said before he was interrupted by a talentless, worthless hack, he was about to say something. Fans chanted, “Shut the f up!” Dustin Rhodes’s music interrupted MJF and he walked out. MJF told them to cut his music. Taz said it was MJF’s time. Excalibur noted Dustin is one-half of the ROH Tag Team Champions. He said all MJF does it badmouth and degrade everyone in the back and even Owen Hart. He told MJF to take Owen’s name out of his mouth or he’ll kick his teeth in. He told them to stop talking about people wives and people’s past with drug and alcohol problems. Dustin said he is one of them. He said he looked the Devil in the eyes and kicked his face in. He said he crawled out of hell. He said MJF isn’t the devil. He said he has all the talent in the world, yet he chooses to go to these dark problems. He said there’s a reason he’s still out there at age 55 hanging with everybody on the roster. He said he’s a survivor and the last of his kind. He said he’s been through anything MJF can imagine. “I’ve been there, boy,” he said. Dustin said when he is gone, the mold will be broken forever He said he’s better than MJF and his punk bitch ass knows it. He poked MJF in the chest as he said it. Fans chanted, “Dustin!”
MJF leaned in the corner and asked for a timeout. He asked everyone to give it up for Dustin. He said it was incredible and said he should take a bow. He said all of those years of him being a worthless drug addict turned his brain into Swiss cheese to come to that theory. He said Dustin is the man who took 37 long hard arduous years of blood, sweat, and tears just to get out from underneath his daddy’s shadow. He asked if he struck a nerve. Fans chanted, “Punk his ass!” MJF said what’s sad is that after all that hard work and sacrifice, now he lives in the shadow of his little baby brother. Dustin punched him. MJF fought back. Security charged into the ring along with backstage agent Jerry Lynn and Christopher Daniels. MJF charged back into the ring and gave Dustin a low-kick. He struck a pose and smiled as Dustin cried in agony below him.
MJF told Daniels not to touch him. He said Hangman did a number on him. Lynn and security tended to Dustin as they cut to a break. [c]
(3) “TIMELESS” TONI STORM vs. QUEEN AMINATA
Mariah May made her entrance first. Then Aminata. Taz noted that women have not just estrogen, but also testosterone, just not as much as men. Justin Roberts said Toni was playing the role of Mariah May. Storm then imitated Mariah’s whole entrance routine while wearing an outfit like hers. Schiavone said she had everything down from the looks to the mannerisms. Mariah looked irked. She asked how mjuch Strom had to have her outfit altered for it to fit her. The bell rang 32 minutes into the hour. They showed Serena Deeb watching on a monitor backstage.
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller and PWTorch’s Frank Peteani to review AEW Dynamite LIVE tonight right after Dynamite. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Dynamite during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Dynamite. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
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